As companies adopt Windows NT enterprise-wide, much of the business-critical processing that happened on the mainframe is now being handled on Windows NT. A lot of this processing is repetitive and labor-intensive. And because companies' computers are so distributed, many of these activities require manual intervention at multiple sites. DIGITAL^TM Visual Batch, the premier batch processor for the Windows NT environment, addresses these issues with an enterprise job scheduler that offers mainframe-caliber automated processing.

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• Allows viewing of all processors and schedules in real time through extensive monitoring and reporting features.
• Provides remote notification of problems via pager or E-mail.
• Saves time and computer resources by automating and managing batch processes. It provides central set-up and management, flexible scheduling parameters, and easy designation of dependencies between jobs.
• Allows a centralized view of the job scheduler through an elegant graphical user interface. With a few simple keystrokes, jobs can be set up for the entire year.
• Provides an advanced job scheduler designed specifically for Windows NT, not ported from another operating system.

Optimizes system resources

DIGITAL^TM Visual Batch for Windows NT is an enterprise job scheduler that brings mainframe-level automated processing to the Windows client/server environment. By automating job scheduling, it allows you to gain control of computer resources, utilizing them to the fullest, 24 hours a day, and all without manual intervention. DIGITAL Visual Batch for Windows NT allows you to create schedules of jobs to launch automatically at defined times. It also allows the creation of dependencies between jobs, so that one job doesn’t launch until another has finished, or until some other condition has been met.

DIGITAL Visual Batch for Windows NT provides easy job monitoring so that you can quickly see what jobs have completed and which ones are still in progress.

Reduces time and training

DIGITAL Visual Batch for Windows NT provides an easy-to-use graphical user interface, allowing a centralized view of the Advanced Process Scheduler (APS). APS is the scheduling engine for all machines, jobs, and schedules. All schedules are set using a graphical calendar, making it easy to set schedules to run throughout the year with a few simple keystrokes. You can even create your own custom business calendar, with your company’s holidays and vacations predefined. The graphical user interface also includes a scripting tool that allows the creation of jobs and processes.

Advanced batch processing

DIGITAL Visual Batch for Windows NT offers sophisticated scheduling capabilities, giving you flexible control over your computing tasks and resources:

• Ability to set up and manage all scheduling centrally
• Extensive scheduling parameters
• Capability to set up complex dependencies between jobs
• Allows queuing of jobs on assigned machines, or on the first available machine

Centralized control and security

DIGITAL Visual Batch for Windows NT provides flexible control over all of the resources in your Windows NT environment. You can direct a job to run on the first available machine, or you can organize multiple machines into a single working environment for schedule execution. DIGITAL Visual Batch fully implements all Windows NT security features.

Components

• The Automated Process Scheduler, or APS, is the engine that launches all of the schedules. Smaller implementations of DIGITAL Visual Batch will need only one APS. For larger implementations, it may be advisable to have multiple APSs.
• The Monitor provides the window for creating schedules.
• The Sentinel controls communications between all DIGITAL Visual Batch components and runs on every computer that launches or runs schedules.
• The Administrator provides tools for the network administrator to configure the APS, define users and set user privileges, create machine lists and classes, and define business calendars and calendar templates.
• The Coordinator is the visual tool for scheduling jobs.
• The Script is a fully visual tool that allows easy creation of batch programs.

Each license permits the customer to choose either APS or Sentinel for the number of systems listed as the quantity (see ordering chart). In addition, the Monitor, Administrator, Script, and Coordinator components can be used on any number of systems in conjunction with either the APS or Sentinel.

Ordering chart

Software

• Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT Workstation/Server 4.0

Hardware

• System minimum: 486/66MHz; recommended: Pentium 200MHz or DIGITAL Alpha system
• Memory minimum: 16MB RAM; recommended: 32MB RAM
• Minimum disk space: 32MB; recommended: 50MB
• Color SVGA monitor (800 x 600 minimum)
• Windows-compatible mouse
• Printer optional, but recommended